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fhocking inftance of cruelty; but their wickedness was fo great, as to deferve fuch exemplary punishment from God, as might prove a warning to other nations; he might as juftly deftroy them by the Tword of the Ifraelites, as by famine, peftilence, or any other judgment; he gave full proof, by miracles, that he had commisfioned the Ifraelites for this very purpofe; and, their being thus commiffioned, had the strongest tendency to imprefs them with an abhorrence of idolatry.

Shuckford's Connex. Findlay, Part 2. p. 125. Leland againft
Morgan. Lowman, Heb. Gov. p. 220, &c.

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1210. 3. The Mofaic law punishing idolatry with death, has been represented as unjuft, and giving countenance to perfecution for religious opinions: but, the Ifraelites were commanded to put to death only fuch Ifraelites as apoftatized to idolatry, and ftill remained members of their own community; and their government being a Theocracy, idolatry was in it, strictly, the political crime of high treafon, which, in every flate, is justly punishable with death.

Locke on Toleration. Warb. Div. Leg.

1211. It has been afferted by fome, that the law of Mofes, Lev. xxvii. 28, 29. concerning devoted things to be put to death, authorized human facrifices; and, Jephtha's facrificing his daughter, Judg. xi. 34, &c. Samuel's hewing Agag in pieces before the Lord, 1 Sam. xv. 33. and David's delivering seven of Saul's pofterity to the Gibeonites, to be put to death by them, 2 Sam. xxi. 2, &c. have been reprefented as inftances

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of human facrifices, conformably to that law: But, as there are express prohibitions of facrificing their children, Deut. xii. 30, 31. Pf. cvi. 37, 38. Jer. vii. 31. Ezek. xvi. 20, 21.; fo, there not only is no direction to facrifice any other human creature, nor any rites appointed for fuch facrifice; but also, it would have rendered the priest unclean, by touching a dead body; and the facrifice of a man is exprefsly declared abominable, Ifa. lxvi. 3. As no devoted thing could be facrificed at all, the law in question cannot poffibly relate to facrifice, and it is capable of a very different meaning; it is most probable, that Jephtha did not facrifice his daughter, but devoted her to perpetual virginity; and the other two inftances alleged have no relation to facrifice.

Sykes's Connex. c. 13. Chandler's Anfw. to Hift. of the Man after God's own heart. Lowth on Ifa. xlii. 16.

1212. 4. The Scripture feems, in fome places, to ascribe to God fuch human paffions, and fuch actions, as are vicious; but it is only by figurative expreffions, which, when properly explained, imply nothing immoral.

Jealoufy-fury-fwearing in wrath-repenting-deceiving men -bardening Pharaoh's heart-putting a lying spirit into prophets-punishing children for the fins of their parents. Ifa. xl. 2. Lowth.

1213. There is no part of the doctrine of the New Teftament that gives encouragement to any species of immorality; the appearance of it has arifen only from mifinterpreting

mifinterpreting particular texts, or mifexplaining ge-.

neral doctrines.

Matth. x. 34, &c. "Send a fword "only foretells perfecution by enemies.

Luke xvi. 1-12.

Parable of unjuft steward gives no encour

agement to dishonesty.

Death of Chrift. Juftification by faith. Divine affistances.

/ 1214.5. It is objected to the prophets, that they, foretell things which did not come to pafs; but without reafon; for the examples produced are either. mifunderstood, or, they are conditional promises and, threatenings, not abfolute predictions.

Tindal, c. 13.

2 Kings viii. 10. Elifha's anfwer to Hazael. b for xb.

1 Chron. xxxiv. 28. xxxv. 23. Jonah.

Seeming affertions that the laft day was near,
Rom. xiii. 11, 12. Heb. ix. 26.

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I Cor. x. II.

Jam. v.

ii. 18. 2 Pet. in. 12, 13.

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Phil. iv. 5.

7, 8. 1 John I Theff. iv. 15,

&c.

1215. It is afferted, that the imprecations pronounced by the prophets, particularly in many paffages of the Pfalms, fhow a fpirit of malice inconfiftent with humanity, and highly vicious: it is an improper vindication of thefe, either to allow that malice was confiftent with the fpirit of the Old Testament, though not of the New, or, to fay that the prophets pronounced them against men, not as their own enemies, but as the enemies of God: but, fome of them appear harsh only by the strong figurative ftyle in which they are expreffed, and, when taken out of this, appear very allowable

wishes ;

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wishes; all of them may be confidered, not as prayers, but simple predictions, the imperative being put for the future (which is a common Hebrew idiom), and fhown to be fo put, by the future being used in other parts of the prediction ; * and this idiom is more natural in prediction, than in other kinds of compofition, because it is the immediate result of combining idioms common in the prophetical ftyle; for, as the prophets are often commanded to do a thing, when it is only meant that they should foretell it, fo they often do foretell a thing, by commanding it to be done, and they often exprefs their predictions in an addrefs to God; the union of which two idioms gives them the appearance of imprecations.

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* Pf. x. 5. Pf. xxviii. 4; 5.
Ezek. xliii. 3. Ifa. xlvii. 1.

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1216. It is faid, that fome of the actions which the prophets did by the direction of God, are indecent or immoral; but fome of them are by no means fo when rightly conceived, and others were either merely fymbolical, or only reprefented in vifion, or even merely related by the prophet.

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1217. It is faid, that there are, in fome places of Scripture, expreffions and figures which are indecent, or nearly obscene; but, the fimplicity of manner's

which then prevailed, made fuch expreffions much less

offenfive than they appear to us.

Song of Solomon. Ezek. xvi. xxiii.

SECT. III.

Passages unreasonably Severe.

1218. THERE are paffages in Scripture, which seem unreasonably fevere, or to enjoin what is impracticable.

1219. There are inftances of punishments inflicted, which feem too fevere for the crimes committed; but, they only feem fuch, when all the circumstances of the crimes, and the exigencies which required the punishments, are not duly confidered.

1220. There are doctrines and affertions which appear hard, inconfiftent with the goodness of God, or unfuitable to the weakness of man; but, the appearance vanishes, when the paffages which contain them are properly explained.

Matth. xix. 23, &c. "A rich man, enter into the kingdom of God"-who "trufts in riches, " Mark x. 24.

John vi. 51-58. Eating Chrift's flesh.

Matth. xii. 31. Mark iii. 28. Luke xii. 10. Blafphemy a gainst the Holy Ghost. v. 36. Idle words.

Heb. vi. 4-6. Impoffible to renew to repentance.

John v. 16. The fin unto death.

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